Gifts in the Deeprealm
by Mystery of the Emblem
Summary: On a visit to his son in his Deeprealm, Xander brings both a gift and a question.


**Life in the Deeprealms is something I have always wanted to explore. I have also wanted to touch on parental reactions, and while I might do it a little bit here, I think that's for something longer. This was meant to be cute, but it seems to have shifted to a more serious tone as I wrote.**

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In a time of war, one never knew what would happen. Brother could fight brother, siblings could be torn apart, even kings could fall, and entire towns could be burned to the ground. It was never all bad, though. Unexpected allies were everywhere, and some allies even fell in love and married despite the horrors of war surrounding them.

Several children were born during the conflict between the countries of Nohr and Hoshido. Camps and battlefields were not the place to raise children, so it had been agreed, for the safety of the children and especially the children of royals, that an infant would be raised in a Deeprealm. There, the child aged quickly, but the war did not touch them. Parents missed out on so much, but despite anger, tears, and heartbreak, they knew it was for the best. The choice was not made lightly, and it tore at each parent deeply. Some, however, showed that pain more than others.

One of the children in the various Deeprealms was Prince Siegbert, son and heir to Nohr's crown prince, Xander.

Even though Xander would have given anything for a quiet life raising his son with his wife, it was not possible. Still, despite the demands of the Nohrian army and his status as his father's heir, the prince still found time to slip away to visit his son.

Xander had always thought public speeches would be the worst thing he endured. They left his stomach in knots, and he often questioned if he had said the right thing. The butterflies he felt in his stomach before giving a speech were nothing compared to the ones he felt when he entered the Deeprealm that housed his son. How old would Siegbert be now? What had he missed? Would Siegbert come to hate him for the decision of missing so much of his life?

He also always tried to bring a gift. Small trinkets probably meant nothing to the young princeling, but it was something that had always come to pass. One of his own retainers, Peri, had come to start that little tradition inadvertently. She had found what she had referred to as "a lovely, sparkly rock," that she had given to Xander to give to his son. She thought the boy might like it, and so he had given it to Siegbert.

The gift that accompanied him had also come from a hard decision. Were it another person, they would laugh at how challenging the choice to bring it had been. The present was not something as simple as a rock that sparkled, a paint set, books, or sweets. It was another little life. Xander had sat holding the orange kitten that now slept in a basket for several minutes the night before as he thought of taking it to Siegbert.

He often heard from Siegbert's caretakers that the young prince was every bit his father's son. One had even stated that were it not for him inheriting his mother's hair color, there would be little, if any, of her in Siegbert. The boy loved to listen to stories of his father's exploits on the battlefield, and had tried very hard to be just like his father as soon as he could pick up a wooden sword. His father had little doubt that Siegbert would also have his own love of cats. Typically, there was one or two cats in his room at a time. There were more if they could slip in before the door was shut.

One of those cats had given birth to a litter of four kittens. The orange was the smallest, the sweetest, and loved to be held. She would be a perfect pet for a growing boy.

As time passed differently in the Deeprealms, the kitten's life would be short to those who fought for Nohr. However, to Siegbert, her life would be long and happy.

When he approached the house in which his son resided, one of Siegbert's caretakers spotted him about the time he noticed her. She had been sweeping the front steps, but dropped her broom and fell into a clumsy curtsy. "Prince Xander," she murmured, her tone a mixture of surprise and apology.

"Daisy." He greeted her with a nod.

"Prince Siegbert is in his room, deep in his studies last time I looked in."

"Thank you."

Xander was displeased with the idea that his son could just be "looked in on," even if the Deeprealms were safe. He would prefer someone watching after Siegbert day and night, even if there was little reason to do such. That conversation would wait until he departed. For the time being, he wanted to see his son.

He entered the house and paused for just a moment. It was warm and inviting. The smell of freshly baked bread filled the air. The den and dining room were empty, but he could hear another woman singing off-key to herself from the kitchen. From an open window, he could see two knights, sworn to protect his son, sparring. A third observed their training, calling out words of advice as they fought with blunted blades.

In the middle of the hall was Siegbert's room. The door was ajar. Sunlight spilled through the window as Siegbert sat at his desk, his back to the door. Xander stood quietly for a moment in the door. He did not want to bother Siegbert, whose head was bent over a piece of parchment, a quill clutched in his small hand. Above the young prince there was a shelf, which Xander was pleased to see contained gifts he had brought before, including the original rock Peri had suggested.

In the basket, the kitten stirred. She opened her eyes, yawned, and looked at Xander. He scratched her behind the ears and took the hint. "Siegbert?" he called.

The boy stopped writing and looked back towards the door. His eyes sparkled as a smile appeared on his face. "Father!" Siegbert bolted from the chair, nearly knocking it over in his haste, and threw his arms around his father. Xander smiled as well and began to stroke Siegbert's hair. "It's been a very long time since you've come," Siegbert said, his voice muffled.

"I know," Xander admitted. He wished he could come more often, but even at his young age, Siegbert understood. There was no point in saying it. He stroked his son's hair one more time before he offered the basket. "I've brought you a friend."

Siegbert peered into the basket, then reached in to pet the kitten. A loud purr came from the basket.

"She is yours, if you want to keep her."

"I'd love to, Father." Siegbert lifted her carefully from the basket. She immediately cuddled against the boy, rubbing her face against his neck. "What is her name?"

"She doesn't have one yet," Xander answered as he placed her basket by Siegbert's bed. "I thought it would be best to let you name her." Siegbert gingerly held the kitten at arm's length to study her. Xander started to chuckle. "You don't have to name her _immediately,_ just wait for something to come to you."

Siegbert nodded and held the kitten close again. He then turned his attention back to his father. "How is everyone? How is Mother?"

Xander had to choose his words carefully. He did not want to lie to his son, but he could not bring himself to say that Siegbert's mother could not bring herself to the Deeprealm. The mere idea of it pained her too deeply. "This war keeps everyone busy," he said slowly. "Your mother has a lot to attend to, nearly as much as I do."

"Maybe she can come next time?"

"Maybe," Xander said, even if he knew the answer was no. He cleared his throat and looked around the small bedroom. "What studies were you working on?" he asked to change the subject.

"I... was not studying," Siegbert admitted. He looked down, his face pressed close to the kitten's orange fur. "I was working on my penmanship."

Curious, Xander walked over to the desk. Siegbert had been writing sentences from one of his books over and over again. Xander could not help to smile as he studied Siegbert's penmanship. Though it was rather elegant for a young man of his age, there were still hints of the sloppy, uncontrolled way of writing children had. That would soon disappear from Siegbert's writing. He thought to ask if he could keep the page, but it was only half full. Instead, he smiled at Siegbert and said, "It looks like you've practiced a lot."

"I have," Siegbert said excitedly. He had sat down on his bed. The kitten had wriggled free from his grasp and had begun to sniff at everything on the bedas she slowly swished her tail from side to side. "I feel it needs to be better."

"You're doing very well."

"Thank you." Siegbert smiled at the praise. "I've worked hard on everything."

"Everything?" Xander asked.

Siegbert nodded eagerly. "My penmanship, riding, training, even my studies. If I ever want to join you, Mother, my aunts, and my uncle on the field of battle, I have to be able to hold my own."

Xander was surprised at his son's resolve. It was a lot for the boy to put on himself at such a young age.

Before Xander could question Siegbert, as a dozen questions had come to his mind, the cat hopped down from Siegbert's bed and had crawled under it. "Come back!" Siegbert called to her. He slid from the bed, too, and dropped to his hands and knees to search for her.

Xander chuckled. "She'll come out," he promised Siegbert. "Right now, she is just doing what cats do. They explore, and hunt if there is prey around."

"What would she hunt?"

"Rodents and birds, typically. Fish, too, if she can find water. I even had a cat who hunted frogs. She never _ate_ them, just killed them and left them out for everyone to see her handiwork."

Siegbert laughed as he straightened up. "I don't know about frogs, Father, but I have seen a few mice."

"I'm sure she'll be glad to take care of them for you." From under the bed, as though the cat herself agreed, came a meow. "We should let her get accustomed to her new home."

"Yes, Father." Siegbert reached out his hand and Xander took it. He allowed Siegbert to lead him through the cozy house and out into the yard. He was not surprised to see the sun had slipped towards the west side of the sky. Time moved quickly, after all.

They stopped to talk to the knights in charge of Siegbert's training. They revealed they were just about ready to put Siegbert on a horse. While he was pleased, there was a faint twinge of jealousy, as well. If things were different, he would be in charge of his own son's training.

Of course, were things different, Siegbert would still be an infant, held close and coddled by his mother.

Father and son continued on after their conversation with the knights. Siegbert led Xander to the woods on the edge of the property. The crown prince was curious, and also worried Siegbert had been wandering around unsupervised. They did not have to go too deep into the woods. Still within sight of the house, Siegbert pointed out a shallow stream. "She can fish here, can't she?"

Xander bent and looked into the stream. Small, fast fish darted by the in shade. "Yes, she certainly could, and not just for fish. Look." He pointed out the tadpoles among the fish. Many of them were still in the tadpole phase, but a few larger ones had already sprouted their hind legs.

Siegbert covered his mouth with his hand to muffle his laughter. He asked Xander if it would be all right to catch a few tadpoles in a jar and take them home to watch them become frogs. He agreed, but stopped Siegbert as the boy started to run off.

"I have a question for you." It was not something Xander had originally thought of asking Siegbert. It was a question that often invaded his thoughts. As he found himself alone with his son, perhaps he could finally get an answer to it. He knelt to Siegbert's level and looked him in the eye. "Do you like it here?"

Siegbert must have expected something else. He was visibly surprised by the question. Xander watched Siegbert search for an answer as the seconds silently passed. Finally, the boy nodded. "I do like it here, Father. I want to become big and strong, to fight alongside you and Mother. I have to work very hard if I ever want to do that. I do like everyone here, they're very kind and helpful when I need it."

Xander did not even fight the urge to smile as Siegbert tried to find the right words. What he felt himself was relief. Siegbert was fine, and happy as he could be in the Deeprealm he called home. That took a good deal of weight from his heart. "Why don't you go and get that jar? I'll wait right here."

The rest of the day passed quickly, too quickly for Xander's liking. They caught a half dozen tadpoles for Siegbert to watch. When Xander placed a rock in the jar that jutted out above the water level, he explained to Siegbert that when the frogs grew legs, they would need some way to get out of the water until Siegbert returned them to the stream.

After the tadpoles were brought to Siegbert's room, placed on the desk right by the kitten, who meowed at their return, Xander agreed to watch Siegbert train. He was even the one to place Siegbert on his pony for the first time.

That evening, when horseback riding and sparring with wooden swords was over, they sat down for a warm meal. Xander answered every single question that came his way, no matter the subject. He answered truthfully the questions about the war, about his family, and even what cats do when they aren't hunting. The cat had, at that time, had been lured from Siegbert's room by the smell of food. She sat by Siegbert's chair and sat perfectly still, waiting for food to be dropped. Xander pretended not to notice when she started to nibble on the food Siegbert slipped to her.

After their meal, Xander helped Siegbert with his studies.

Too soon for Xander, the sky grew dark and Siegbert grew sleepy. His questions became sporadic. His hand slowed as he wrote. Yawns were more frequent. Reluctantly, Xander coaxed Siegbert out of his desk chair. He dressed his son for bed and tucked him in. Siegbert curled up on his side; one hand was tucked under his face while the other clutched his blankets. "Father?" he mumbled even as his eyes closed. "You'll come back soon, won't you?"

"You have my word, Siegbert." Xander stroked Siegbert's hair for a moment. He meant it, too. As soon as he could slip away, he would be back. The cat, who Xander did not notice lurking in the doorway, came into the room and jumped onto the bed. Xander laughed softly and scratched her behind the ears. "Take care of him," he ordered the cat. She began to purr and curled up on the bed next to Siegbert.

Xander exchanged a few words with those responsible for taking care of Siegbert before he departed the Deeprealm and returned home, where little time had passed since he left.


End file.
